*Turkey is target of economic war, says president. *U.S. demanding release of Christian pastor in Turkey. ISTANBUL, Aug 14- President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Turkey would boycott electronic products from the United States, retaliating in a row with Washington that has helped drive the lira to record lows.

NEW YORK, Aug 14- Advocacy groups on Tuesday filed a lawsuit challenging the decision by President Donald Trump's administration to allow Arkansas to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients in the state. The lawsuit, filed against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in federal court in Washington on behalf of three Medicaid recipients in...

Aug 14- Kroger Co has partnered with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd to sell nuts, supplements and other products in China, venturing outside the United States for the first time in what is fast becoming a fierce global battle to dominate online grocery sales. "E-commerce enables Kroger to quickly scale to reach new customers and markets where we don't operate...

BOSTON, Aug 14- Hedge fund Starboard Value said on Tuesday that it sold half of its stake in consumer products company Newell Brands, whose chief executive officer it sought to replace, about four months after ending its proxy contest. The activist firm, run by Jeffrey Smith, said it owned 8.7 million shares of the maker of Sharpie markers, Mr. The information came in a...

NEW YORK, Aug 14- Bayer AG unit Monsanto faces long odds on an appeal blaming an "inflamed" jury and "junk science" for a verdict of $289 million in damages to a man who said the company's Roundup weed killer caused his cancer, according to some legal experts. Monsanto said on Monday it planned to challenge the verdict on the grounds that the judge should have barred...

BUENOS AIRES, Aug 14- Argentina has suspended for six months its program of gradually cutting taxes on exports of soymeal and soyoil, the Treasury Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday, part of the government's fiscal tightening program. Beginning after the next harvest, Argentina had expected to export significant amounts of soymeal to China as the South...

The following selection of data points indicate there is relative weakness in Argentina and South Africa, while Asia and Mexico show strength. Argentina, with the largest net deficit on this list, is one of the markets usually expected to suffer under continued U.S. dollar strengtheni ng. Combined with data on import/expo rt balances, the FDI data highlights...

Aug 14- U.S. oil and gas company Diamondback Energy Inc said on Tuesday it would buy Energen Corp in an all-stock deal valued at $9.2 billion to expand in the Permian Basin. Energen was under pressure to sell itself by activist investors Corvex Management, Icahn Associates and Elliott Management. Citigroup Global Markets Inc is the financial adviser to...

Aug 14- Viavi Solutions Inc forecast first-quarter results above Wall Street estimates on Tuesday as it looks to benefit from higher sales of its 3 D sensing products and 5 G wireless deployment. The company expects net revenue of $257 million to $277 million and adjusted earnings of 12 cents to 15 cents in the first quarter of fiscal 2019..

Aug 14- Kroger Co has partnered with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd to sell its private label products in China, venturing outside the United States for the first time in what is fast becoming a fierce global battle to dominate online grocery sales. "E-commerce enables Kroger to quickly scale to reach new customers and markets where we don't operate physical stores,...

*Kroger rises on China partnership with Alibaba. NEW YORK, Aug 14- Wall Street's three major indexes rose on Tuesday with the S&P 500 posting its strongest gain in three weeks as a string of healthy earnings boosted investor optimism and a rebound in the Turkish lira eased fears of a broader financial contagion. Shares of major U.S. banks reversed course on easing...

Aug 14- Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc on Tuesday said it has increased its investment in Goldman Sachs Group Inc, and confirmed it has added to its stake in iPhone maker Apple Inc.. Berkshire said it owned roughly 13.3 million Goldman shares worth $2.92 billion, a 21 percent increase in the number of shares over the 11 million it owned three months...

OTTAWA, Aug 14- Canada said on Tuesday it will consider a safeguard action on seven steel products to protect domestic producers from imports since the United States imposed tariffs against its major trade partner in March. "Our government believes the tariffs levied by the United States represent an exceptional circumstance, and that's why provisional...

GENOA, Italy, Aug 14- Firefighters searched into the night on Tuesday for survivors and bodies amid the rubble of a motorway bridge that collapsed in the northern Italian port city of Genoa, killing at least 26.. While that remained the official death toll, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said from Genoa that the number would rise. In its latest update, the government...

Aug 14- Prominent hedge fund managers appeared to make big second-quarter bets that the U.S. economy would continue to expand despite increasing concerns about a broadening trade dispute between the United States and China, regulatory filings showed Tuesday. Third Point added new positions in payment companies PayPal Holdings Inc and Visa Inc, both of which...

*Turkey is target of economic war, says president. *US demanding release of Christian pastor in Turkey. ISTANBUL, Aug 14- President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Turkey would boycott electronic products from the United States, retaliating in a row with Washington that helped drive the lira to record lows.